


Kept Safe in the Shards of my Heart

by EaSnowPw



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fae & Fairies, Fluff, M/M, Mythology - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:46:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22830448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EaSnowPw/pseuds/EaSnowPw
Summary: Tony was the king of the Kingdom of the Lost Souls. He was loved by all, so when he fell ill, his people would have done anything to heal him.Anything.Now that he's healthy, he has to deal with the consequences.
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Comments: 14
Kudos: 139
Collections: Snow's ironstrange dump





	Kept Safe in the Shards of my Heart

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Descaladumidera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Descaladumidera/gifts).



> Another stolen idea 😅
> 
> Hope I did it justice

Tony hummed in thought, Friday doing some calculations for him. His new invention was based on some idea his father had like 500 years prior, something impossible at the time, particularly so for a human, but with the technology available to Tony these days...

He had to make it work. He'd already designed and replaced the magnet, he just needed something to power it up. Something not magical...

He tapped at the battery in his chest when the light flickered out and it soon returned.

"Soon, baby, I promise," he muttered, as if the thing was alive.

It had been a growing suspicion of his, ever since he'd woken up with a magical shard in his chest. The faint blue light would pulse randomly, sometimes growing faint and sending his heart into overdrive.

Like now. Through the mirror, he didn't look so bad, almost like he was healthy again. His hand gently touched the case, thoughtful. It seemed to be slowly running out of energy. Nobody else had noticed, but he'd been analysing it for a month and the trend was undeniable. He needed a different answer. His people had done what they could, Tony knew, but he needed to do more. He didn't like how alive the battery felt. How had they infused it with magic? Only the faefolk had that much power. And faes were arrogant assholes.

"What are you doing?"

Rhodey.

"Working."

"On what?" His friend had a point. Tony usually shared his inventions with him. "Oh."

"Yeah. Look, I appreciate what everyone did for me. I just... I need to make my own thing. You know, in case this one breaks. Something I understand and can fix." And have backups.

"Of course. As far as I know, Steve just wanted to buy you time."

Tony nodded.

"He did. About 10 years, maybe 20."

"I'm sure you'll come up with something soon enough. You're Tony Stark." The human who was made an immortal king in the mythological realm.

"Yeah..."

He was, wasn't he? One problem. He was bad at magic. Really bad. It was embarrassing really, given that he was the fucking king, but his inventions were the ones behind his power, not his magic. He was barely adequate at it and honestly half feared this weakness, aware that someone could take advantage of it. He tended to surround himself with people who could make up for his lack of skills.

* * *

 _"The king has requested your presence_."

Pepper nodded at the voice inside her head and immediately made her way to the lab. She froze in the doorway.

"Come in."

"Tony?" Pepper hesitated. Her king was lying on a bed, shirtless.

"I swear this isn't sex related."

She closed the door and warily approached him.

"I need you to remove my chest piece and replace it with this one." He pointed at the little device lying next to him.

"No."

"Yes. I've done the calculations. My hands are too big." She still didn't seem convinced. "Pep, this one," he tapped the light, "won't last much longer." A white lie. "I wanna replace it while it's still working."

Okay, that was more convincing.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. It's been flickering out for a while."

"Alright."

She sighed and hesitantly followed his directions, removing the original battery. She almost threw it away, but Tony stopped her. He still had his suspicions about it. What if there was a living being inside? A living, breathing being?

Pepper fit the new device in, restarting Tony's heart. He thanked her, but she didn't leave, lingering to make sure he was okay. That was fine with him. Less fine when she ordered him to sleep and eat, but it came from a place of love.

* * *

As soon as he was alone, he opened the case. Tony felt his heart constrict when he realized that the box that had been in his chest could be opened. He tilted it to see what had been supporting his life, though he already had a pretty strong suspicion. Was that a whimper? He really hoped it wasn't. God, let him be wrong, just this once. Let him be wrong. 

Something tiny, barely bigger than his hand, rolled out into his open palm.

"No..." the king whispered.

It was a fae. Their body was glowing faintly with a familiar light. They were weakened beyond belief. Their wings weren't fluttering like it was normal for their kind. They were limp, their tiny body barely twitching. The fae weakly curled in on themselves, whimpering again.

"No..."

How could his people have done something so cruel?

He cradled the fae in his hands, quickly looking around to find something to do with... her? Him? The light dimmed. Tony could make out some facial traits and the body shape. Him. Ok, he'd seen what he needed, you can light up again, please. Please.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered, channeling what little magic he could muster to try and restore the fae.

The other's wings twitched, curling into his body. His light pulsed back to life, fainter than was healthy. Still, progress was progress.

"I'm so very sorry. I'll make it up to you, I swear."

* * *

Over the next few days, Tony made a nest for the fae, hidden from the others. Pepper knew that something was up, smart undine that she was, but she hadn't said a thing yet.

The fae was recovering thanks to an energy field Tony had invented. Slowly, but he was.

"I'll heal you," the king promised. "And afterwards, you'll tell me what happened to you."

* * *

Tony wasn't generally a lucky person. If something could go wrong, it usually did. So what could possibly go wrong from restoring the fae who had nearly died (unwillingly) to keep him alive?

Well, for one, the shiny bastard immediately took his human shape when he was strong enough for it. Secondly, he was one handsome human, tall and with sharp, aristocratic features. Tony would've whistled, but he had more important matters to attend to. Namely the fury in the fae's eyes.

"You!"

"Yes, me. Look, before you light up my workshop-"

"You're a fucking murderer! You took me from my forest!"

"Ok, rude. I nursed you back to health-"

"You almost killed me-"

"I just said I didn't-"

"You turned me into a stupid battery!"

"Are you listening to me, stupid fairy?" A great offense. Fairies were the underlings of the faefolk. Blue sparkles danced in the air. Tony wondered if that was how he died. Honestly, save someone's life once and they try to murder you.

But the fae staggered, still weak. Small mercies. Tony instinctively lifted his arms to help the other man, but he jerked away.

"Stay away from me!" he snarled. "Haven't you done enough?"

Orange magic now focused around his hands, but the fae fell down this time, barely having time to guard his head. His wings appeared, fluttering on his back. Tony tested his luck and approached the other, kneeling in front of him.

"Listen to me. I'm not the one who kidnapped you. I healed you. I'm not your enemy. I don't want to hurt you, but you need to calm down and listen to me."

A trembling, scarred hand reached towards his chest. Tony reluctantly allowed it to rest on the arc reactor. Blue-green eyes fluttered open.

"Who are you?" the fae rasped.

"Now we're talking. I'm Tony Stark, king of the Kingdom of Lost Souls." The hand slipped down, but Tony steadied it on his arc reactor. A sign of trust, the only one he could offer. "Tell me what you need and your name."

"Rest. Just... water. Food." The blue wings fluttered once. "Stephen. I'm Stephen." His eyes slid closed.

"Nice to meet you, Stephen," Tony whispered, returning the other's hand to his side. He poked his face a bit. Nothing. Huh. Out like a light.

"Ok, let's get your long ass into a bed."

* * *

The next time Stephen woke up, he was in a soft bed. The fae opened his eyes, not familiar with the soft pillow and blanket. There was a glass of water on a small table next to him, as well as some food. He could hear two voices talking.

"Tony, I need to know why there's a fae in your bed!"

"As a matter of fact, so do I, Rhodey-bear. He was in that case Rogers brought."

"What?"

"He was the battery keeping me alive and judging by his reaction when he woke up, he didn't exactly volunteer for it. The spell almost killed him."

"Shit."

"Exactly. What do I even do now? Throw him in jail? Like 'thanks for saving my life, but, you know, the method was immoral so fuck you'. I can't say that."

"What are you going to do with the fae?"

"Ask him what happened, gift him some gold and return him to his folk. Hope they don't eat me."

"Make Rogers return him."

There was a pause.

"You know, that seems fair."

"You don't need to take me back," Stephen interjected from the doorway to the tiny bedroom in Tony's workshop. The king and his knight stiffened, but Tony quickly pulled himself together and went to support the fae.

"I swear to God, if you fall again-"

"You'll what? Kill me? You wouldn't have nursed me back to health if you wanted me dead." The king glared at the snarky reply. Rhodey went to help get the fae back to bed.

"Now talk." Tony noticed the somewhat touched plate of food. "What do you even eat?"

"Raw fruits and vegetables."

Rhodey rolled his eyes and left with the tray, saying he'd return with something better for a fae.

"So, not going home?" the king prompted as soon as they were alone.

"I was captured because I was on my own. My people abandoned me."

"Why?"

The fae looked away, then reluctantly showed Tony his hands. They were heavily scarred and trembling. The king wanted to touch and soothe, but he held back, waiting for the full story.

"I... I can't use magic as well as I could. The new fae king exiled me." As well as destroyed his hands. Other faes wouldn't take him in when he was so obviously damaged. Faes put a heavy emphasis on physical beauty.

"New fae king? Does that make you the old fae king or at least part of his court?"

Stephen nodded.

"I can only manage healing magic and very basic spells nowadays."

"Can you..." Tony looked down. Stephen tilted his head to the side for a few moments, then shook his head.

"At most, I could put you under a continuous spell-"

"Been there." For months, until Steve had brought the case. "Sucked." Stephen nodded, hiding his hands under his blanket. "Look, you can stay, if you want. All things considered, we never have too many healers."

Stephen's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Are you sure? I-"

"This is the Kingdom of Lost Souls. It's literally in the name." The king then grinned. "There's only one condition: you need to wear clothes."

The fae blushed, but didn't back down. Tony liked his attitude.

"You haven't provided any!"

* * *

Stephen didn't... not fit in Tony's court. The fae turned out to be surprisingly kind and a valuable healer. He seemed to befriend Wong, as well as Christine and a few others. Tony visited him on occasion, fond of his intelligence and his sass. He'd made Steve apologise and he had, though he said he wasn't sorry to Tony, but he was sorry for having caused harm.

Most often, the king cherished Stephen's contribution in his lab. The fae had a rare understanding of the flow of magic and knew how to add it to Tony's inventions. He couldn't manage big spells, but small, useful tricks were achievable.

It also helped that the fae was quite handsome. It barely took any time for Tony's new preference to be known. People noticed. Stephen himself did, but his demeanor didn't shift. He just took it all in stride.

Everything came to a head one late night, when the fae had managed to power Tony's new chest piece with an infinite magic spell. The king was so happy he hugged the other, then barely stopped himself short of kissing him. He pulled away, watching with no small amount of satisfaction as Stephen's eyes fluttered open.

"My king?"

"Can I kiss you?" He had to ask.

"Of course. There's no need to ask for permission from me."

Tony was so happy he didn't mind the strange wording. He just leaned up and kissed the other, arms wrapping around him. Stephen kissed back, following his lead.

Somehow, the night ended with them stumbling into Tony's bed. The fae looked even more magical in the faint lighting. His wings appeared on his back, fluttering in anticipation. Stephen blushed.

"I..."

Tony chuckled and reached up to touch one, grinning when the other shivered, magical appendages moving. He looked embarrassed.

"I know. It happens with other species as well. Just tell me you won't go tiny on me."

"No, that's- no, that won't happen."

"Good. Come here, precious."

The king guided his healer into a gentle kiss, slowly going for more. They fit together, their bodies synchronized in a way Tony hadn't experienced in years. He knew he wanted more than one night with the fae, but he hadn't expected this connection between them. If he was honest, halfway through, he realized he shouldn't have had sex with Stephen so soon. He should've made his intentions clear. Maybe a fancy dinner.

"You're distracted," Stephen muttered against his throat.

"Me? Only wondering how I got you here."

"You're a king. You could've just ordered me."

Tony chose to ignore that, more focused on the other's body. Stephen's wings fluttered when he was in deep pleasure. The king would always cherish the image of his lover coming undone, blue wings shining blindly and fluttering like crazy.

He would never get sick of that picture or of Stephen's voice.

"Are all faefolk so good in the sack?" the king asked when they'd finished.

Stephen chuckled, letting Tony pull him into his arms. The fae dismissed his wings, curling his long body against his partner.

"It comes with being a king, it appears."

"Why, thank you. Practice makes perfect."

The fae hummed in thought. He was just another notch in Tony's belt, then. Fine. He could live with that. He willed his stupid heart to calm down, afraid Tony could feel it.

"Will you stay here? With me, tonight?" the king asked. 

"I figured that was the point of cuddling."

"You can leave-" he wanted to offer, but the other cut him off.

"No."

Tony dared hope. He closed his eyes and let sleep pull him into its embrace.

* * *

Tony's eyes blinked open, but he closed them again, not willing to wake up yet. It was dark outside, ugh. Still, something wasn't right. He reluctantly opened one eye. A familiar blue light came to view.

"Huh?"

"Go back to sleep," Stephen urged him gently. Tony lifted his head to see what was happening. The fae had a hand on his arc reactor. That was where the blue glow was coming from.

"Whacha doing?"

"Nothing bad. Do you trust me?" Stephen's eyes were glowing too from the light. Or maybe they were lit up by his magic? Tony didn't know and couldn't be bothered to care.

He put his hand above Stephen's, gently squeezing his wrist.

"I do."

"Thank you," the fae whispered right before Tony returned to his dreams.

* * *

The second time Tony woke up was nowhere near as pleasant as the first. Obadaiah Stane was kneeling over him, a glowing stone in his hand. Tony found that he couldn't move.

"You've been growing lax," the man said. "Kingdom of Lost Souls? Pathetic. You take in everyone's trash."

"Where's Stephen?" Tony managed.

"Right, your precious little battery." He grinned. "I put him to good use, don't worry. Rogers' spell needed some tweaking, but I won't be wasting my time waiting for him to give up enough energy. He's charging the dungeons. Your friends won't be bothering me. But you? You're easier to get rid of."

He pressed his hand to the arc reactor. Tony tried to struggle. He had a dagger under his pillow, always. Stephen hadn't dislodged it the previous night.

"So simple. Just a tiny thing keeping you alive." Tony whimpered when he pressed down. "You're weak, Tony!"

Then the most amazing thing happened. A blue light shot up from his arc reactor, burning his uncle. Tony didn't waste any time, quickly grabbing his dagger. Stane was cradling his arm, but he quickly reached for the stone on Tony's nightstand. Tony managed to kick him away.

"I'm not weak, you're wrong. I was only weak when you were the only one I was relying on."

With that, Tony jumped on him. Obbie put up a decent fight, but the king was an experienced fighter, had won many battles in his youth. The wounded man was barely a challenge.

In the end, he stabbed the other in the throat. Obbie fell down with a gurgle, chocking on his own blood. Tony felt sick. His uncle. The man who had followed him away from other humans, from everything they'd ever known. The one who had been by his side through everything, from losing his parents to learning how to lead a kingdom. The only one...

No.

Pepper. Rhodey. Friday. Steve. Bucky. Stephen. They were there for him now. His found family. And they needed him.

* * *

He hurried to release his friends from the dungeons. Pepper and Rhodey hugged him tight, while Steve and Bucky hurried to get things cleaned up. Stephen... Stephen hesitated a little outside his prison, still weak. That's when Tony realized.

"You put a protection spell on me," he stated. The fae flinched, but nodded. "Last night, when I woke up and you had a hand on my chest... you saved my life today."

"As I believe I owed it to you," he replied formally.

Owed. Did Stephen really believe he owed Tony anything? Was he really just paying a debt?

"Stephen, come here."

Rhodey seemed to vanish into thin air. Pepper took a step back, letting Tony go to the taller man when it became obvious that walking and standing on his own in general wasn't quite achievable. Stephen had been seriously harmed by the energy spell and could barely move away from the wall.

"Did you sleep with me because you owed me?"

The fae looked away and Tony felt his heart sink.

"Not exactly." His wings flopped down. "I... I do have feelings for you, if that's what you're asking. But you're the king of this realm, so I'll offer myself to you in any way you desire me." Tony didn't look pleased. "This is the way it was in my kingdom."

"You're free," the king stressed. "Free. You can reject me."

"Why would I? Whatever you want, I'm willing to give."

"What if I want you as my lover?"

"It would be an honor."

Stephen could tell, from the visceral disgust on Tony's face, that he'd made a poor word choice.

"Then leave."

Tony spun around, dismissive. Pepper was giving Stephen a pointed look. Ok, hint taken.

"I do have feelings for you, as earlier stated. King or not, I will stay by your side if you'll have me, in any way you want me," he repeated.

Tony turned towards him.

"I have feelings for you too and I want to know that you return them, not that you feel indebted to me. You're not a slave, Stephen."

"I know. My ki- Tony, I would have had sex with you if I didn't have feelings for you," the fae stated. "I wouldn't have made love to you. And I wouldn't have put that protection spell on you."

The king could at least accept that as true. Had Stephen felt forced to surrender his body (the mere thought disgusted Tony), he wouldn't have used the chance to protect him. On the contrary, he might have tried to cause harm.

However, could Tony take a partner who had admitted he didn't speak his mind around him?

Stephen seemed to take the silence as a rejection, because he deflated, nodding.

"You feel betrayed. I understand. Can I-" he hesitated, swallowing heavily. "Can I redo the spell at least?"

That was enough to make up Tony's mind. Stephen was exhausted, barely standing, yet he still wanted to tire himself further for Tony's benefit.

"Yes."

When Stephen lifted his trembling hand to press to the arc reactor, Tony grabbed and held it there. The fae tensed, searching for his eyes.

"I want you to speak freely around me."

"I will. I promise."

"Good. Kiss me."

Stephen smiled and stepped closer, leaning down. Tony met him halfway, humming contentedly.

"Am I forgiven?"

"Yes, fairy, you are."

Stephen's smile didn't vanish even when he fainted, falling into Tony's arms.

* * *

~ **20 years late** r~

Stephen snuck out of bed and into the lab attached to their bedroom, checking his latest experiment. He was trying to strengthen the protective barriers around the castle. Only the best for Tony. 

The barrier he'd cast the previous night over a feather was still intact and didn't break when he poked at it. Nice. He picked up an apple from the tray on his work table (Tony made sure the tray was never empty) and bit into it. He couldn't resist and grabbed a weapon to further test the barrier.

A warm arm snuck around his waist.

"You have no decency," Tony's sleepy voice teased, hand resting on a bare hip.

Stephen was naked. Clothes weren't that big of a deal for faefolk. Usually, a couple of leaves were more than enough, even less around their mates.

Tony had cried when Stephen had first called him that. 

"You like it."

Hell yes he liked it. Tony loved Stephen's body. All faes were thin and lean, very few were so tall. Stephen had been bony after everything they'd been through, but now he'd put on a healthy amount of weight, as much as his diet allowed. He couldn't eat meat or even milk. Fruits, vegetables and nuts were all he had. Still, he was obviously healthy, glowing in a way that was entirely magical. The fae explained that it showed his balance with magic, with himself. He had found his peace in this foreign kingdom. 

"We've had this conversation before. Anyone could walk in." Another hand joined the first, teasing the fae. Tony chuckled when blue wings appeared, fluttering. "Friday, lock the door."

The spirit voiced a confirmation.

Stephen grinned, turning to wrap an arm around Tony's neck. To his delight, he was equally nude. The king had lost a bit of weight himself. He'd always had a belly, but eating leaves with his fae instead of snacking on chocolate or burgers was proving to be a good choice for his body. He still ate his meals separately, but they only kept snacks Stephen could eat in the lab.

The fae let his king pull him back to bed, carefully avoiding the potted plant on his nightstand when he stretched, yawning. 

"You wanna go back to sleep?"

"Hmm... no, sex first," Stephen answered with a smile. 

The potted plant came from the magical fae forest, where Stephen himself had been born. The fae had started aging a few years after his arrival in the Kingdom of Lost Souls. He had known what was up, so he'd asked to be allowed a trip to his home, which had been the answer. Tony had been heartbroken to find that faefolk couldn't survive for long outside the forest, but Stephen had suggested taking some of the forest with them. It had worked, although his lost years had not returned. Steve was in charge of "the fae garden" (It was now a proper forest) and he periodically took trips to the fae realm in order to bring new seeds.

They were happy together. They'd made a home for themselves. Stephen was the castle's best healer, Tony always his priority. His magic would never return to its former glory, but it was still growing every day, being able to use one more spell he had thought lost forever each morning. He was better than when Steve had taken him down. Healthy. At peace.

"You're perfect, fairy."

Tony climbed in bed, bending over Stephen, who smiled widely.

"I love you, my mate."


End file.
